Wagon-tongue support.



PATENTED MAYZ, 1905.

Z. D. ROBISON.

WAGON TONGUE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20 1904.

flmvmdoz 2.17. Heb/$011.

Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ZEILON D. ROBISON, OF MANNINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

WAGON-TONGUE SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,067, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed August 20, 1904. Serial No. 221,507.

To all whom it may concern.

Be itknown that LZEILON D. RoBIsoN,a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Mannington, in the county of Marion and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in VVagon-Tongue Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to supports for vehiole-tongues; and its object is to provide a simple, durable, and inexpensive device of this character which can be readily attached to a vehicle and which will support the tongue thereof, so as to remove its weight from the draft-animals.

The invention consists of a spring-strip which is hinged to the vehicle-tongue ata point in front of its pivot and which extends back- ,ward and bears on the center of the axle.

This spring-strip is surrounded by a yoke which extends around and across the top of the tongue at a point in rear of its pivot. Downward pressure at the front end of the tongue will cause the rear end thereof to press upward against the yoke, and thereby tension the spring-strip. None of the parts, however, prevents the raising of the forward end of the tongue.

The invention also consists of the further novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, showing the preferred form of my invention, and in which Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through the front portion of a vehicle having my improved support connected to the tongue thereof. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the spring-strip, and Fig. 4 is a similar view of its hinge-leaf.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 is the axle of a vehicle supporting a bolster 2, from which extend hounds 3. Pivoted between these hounds on a pin 4 is a tongue 5. A hinge-leaf 6 is secured to the lower sur-- face of the tongue at a point in front of the pivot-pin L, and pivoted to this leaf by means of cars 7, which extend from its forward end, is a spring-strip 8, arranged longitudinally beneath the tongue. The free end 9 of the strip 8 bears upon the lower surface of the axle and below the king-pin 10 of the vehicle. Strip 8 is normally bowed and extends through a U-shaped yoke 11, which extends to opposite sides of the tongue 5 at a point in rear of its pivot 41:. A cross-strip 12 is arranged on the tongue 5 and engaged by the ends of yoke 11.

In View of the fact that the yoke 11 is arranged in rear of the pivot 4 it will be seen that spring-strip 8 exerts a downward tension upon the rear end of the tongue 5, and thereby relieves the draft-animals of the weight of the tongue. Should the front end of the tongue be raised, however, there is nothing to hinder such movement, as the spring-strip 8 is free to slide within the yoke 11. By moving the yoke from or toward the pivot 4 the leverage on the tongue may be decreased or diminished.

It will be seen that this device does not detract from the appearance of the vehicle to which it is attached, and by relieving the draft-animals of the weight of the tongue they are not tired as quickly as where the tongue must be supported by them.

In the foregoing description I have shown the preferred form of my invention; but I do not limit myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the ad vantages thereof, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A vehicle running-gear, a tongue pivotally connected therewith, a spring-strip pivotally engaged at its forward end with the tongue at a point in advance of the pivotal axis of the latter, said strip being bowed longitudinally throughout the greater portion of its length and terminating at its rear end in a straight substantially horizontal portion adapted to bear evenly upon a part of the running-gear, and a yoke sustained by the tongue in rear of its pivotal axis and engaging the spring between the ends of the bowed portion of the latter, said spring being free from engagement With and adapted to slide freely relative to the yoke and running-gear.

In testimony WhereofI aflix my signature in presence of two wltnesses.

ZEILON D. ROB'ISON.

Witnesses:

D. O. ROBISON, R. D. 10E. 

